“Sports Achievements Is the Only Metric”: Rafael Nadal Again Slammed by Perennial ‘Academy Rival’ For Picking Roger Federer Over Novak Djokovic

Recently in an interview with El Pais, Rafael Nadal said that sporting metric should not be the only thing considered to determine the GOAT. The Spaniard mentioned that he was more impressed with Roger Federer than Novak Djokovic. Nadal even added that Federer’s elegance was what set him apart from the rest. However, Patrick Mouratoglou has now joined the conversation and defended Novak Djokovic.

Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, is never shy to voice his opinions. The Frenchman is often surrounded by controversies due to his strong opinions and took to social media again to show support to Novak Djokovic. Mouratoglou has already hailed Novak Djokovic as the greatest tennis player of all time after his success in 2023.

In his tweet, Mouratoglou admitted that Federer’s elegance is unmatched in tennis. The Frenchman believes that Federer attracted a lot of interest towards the game. However, while opining about the GOAT debate, Mouratoglou felt that only sporting achievements should be counted.

No doubt that Roger’s elegance and inspired tennis is unmatched as much as there is no discussion about who is the Goat. In that matter, sports achievements is the only metric.

— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) January 4, 2024

The Frenchman has always advocated for Novak Djokovic and believes that the Serbian is the GOAT. Mouratoglou stated that although Nadal and Federer have achieved great things in their careers, they are not close to what Djokovic is achieving at 36 years of age.

Rafael Nadal more impressed with Roger Federer than Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal has been talking to the media as the Spaniard is set to make a return to tennis. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was asked about his rivalries with both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal, who has enjoyed success against both his opponents, leaned towards Federer while choosing his favorite player to watch.

“Roger Federer was perfection on an aesthetic level, on an elegance level, on a technical level. Tennis is emotion, emotion is what attracts you. But as far as tennis is concerned it’s clear. Roger Federer is the player who impressed me the most, the one who entertained me the most, the one who moved me the most. I was more excited to see Federer play than Djokovic.”

Rafael Nadal has admitted that he enjoyed watching Federer play more than Djokovic. The Swiss superstar was elegant on and off court and shared some great moments with Nadal. The ‘Fedal’ rivalry is widely regarded as the best in tennis.